The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for May !
-"Israel in Egypt"

JOsepnb ueati, I'D loil ID. ", the DHtn VI
Moses. Place, land of Goshen, in Egypt
SPECIAL MENTION
Em6alming the dead The origin OF the
practice of embalming the dead, and the rea-
sons why such q practice was adopted, are
questions on which there still exist some diff
ferences of opinion. Some suppose that the
Egyptians had recourse to it because they
were unable to bury their dead during the
foundations. Others assign as reason, that
the Egyptians believed that the soul remained
III the body as long as the body was
preserved. Others imagine, and not without
reason, that the custom originated on sani-
tary grounds, the climate rendering IT neces-
sary that the decomposition of animal bodies
should be prevented az much as possible. The
true reason Is 10 be found IN the views which
the Egyptians entertained relative 10 future
state. They, no doubt, believed in the separ-
ate existence of the soul after the death OF the
body, i'll the doctrine of Its transmlgration
through other bodies, and IN the notion that
after a certain length of time-3,OOO years
according to the Greeks-it would return to
ita former habitation. That the family of
Joseph, however, in having him embalmed,
intended TO give their sanction TO these
notions, cannot be supposed They adopt
ed the custom with another OBJ
ject i'll view-the preservation of his
remains until the return of the lsraelltes to
Canaan According TO the usual custom, Jo-
seph's body, after 10 was embalmed, was put
into coffin. This coffin, or mummy case,
was probably made of wood, and on the lid of
it there would perhaps be representation of
the deceased, whilst the whole of it would be
decorated with various colors. Ct Smith.)
Josephs coffin was, no doubt, deposited IN
some sepulchral building, and guarded by his
own immediate descendants till the time of
the exodus. (Browne) Or 1t was placed in
the house of Ephraim, the son whom Jacob
had preferred, by whose family in the line of
the eldest, it was preserved (Smlth)
The character 81 Joseph The last OF the
patriarchs, as Joseph has been called was
also, IN many respects, the noblest and the
best His character is almost without flaw
and there are in it some of the most admira-
BILE traits ever exhibited to the world. HIS
tory has scarcely done him justice as YETI for
though many works have been written on his
life, he has not been so often held up as an
example of sterling worth as he deserves to
be IN every succeeding age Even Chris
tians may learn from the narrative we have
unfolded some precious lessons of the higher
life; and as chapter in Providence, this
narrative is replete with consolation, for
it shows how God is ever with the
truly good and faithful man, and how He
gives him the victory even when IL seems as if
he were forgotten and cast of. Jehovah was
with him; and therefore, as q modern writer
has said, che was slave and yet free man;
unfortunate, and yet child of fortune; aban-
doned, yet stlll standing firm In the fiercest
temptations; forlorn, yet still In the presence
of God; an object of impending wrath yet
still preserved alive; state prisoner, and
yet a prison-keeper; every way subdued, yet
ever again superior to his condition" But 10
return. The Lord was with Joseph to the
last He was always great, and always,
through faith, victorious over evil and
sin. His trials were such as few men were
called TO bear; but he rose superior to them
the trials of adversely, and the still
greater trials of prosperity, only serving to
bring out the noble qualities of his mind.
That life SO transparent and beautiful as
that of Joseph should be typical of the life of
our Lord, Is not surprising. A continental
writer presents not less than twenty-five points
of resemblance between Joseph and Christ,
and an ingenious mind would probably find
many more But it is in general rather than
minute particulars that we must look for the
parallel In his self-sacrifcing spirit, in his
love for his brethren, in his readiness TO for
give, in his providing for the necessities of q
numerous people, in his elevation TO the
government of a mighty nation, and in the
wisdom with which he administered is affairs,
we can now see set forth the greatness of the
Redeemor of the world; but, as the antitype is
always superior to the type, so Christ is in
| every respect far above Joseph, and TO him.
therefore, every knee must bow, and every
| tongue confess (Thornley Smith.)
The Book Of EIoduS. % Its name. The
word @exodus" means going out or departure
1t Is a Latin word, representing the Hebrew
|
translation of the Bible. (2) Its divisions.
| There are two general divisions, the first part
including chs. l-l9, inclusive, giving a detailed
account of the bondage and deliverance; the
second part (chs 2O-40) describes the giving of
| the law, the building of the tabernacle, and
| the accompanying institutions in connection
with the beginning of the theocracy. Canon
Cook According to Murphy the book consists
| of five sections, as follows: Bondage in Egypt
| (chs 1-6), the ten plaques (chs. LIP the exc
fns (cba l.t-lSO the law giving fcha 1Q-ON tho
! tabernacle (chs 254 } (Murphy) 90 It's pur-
! pose. $40 give an account of the first stage
! IN the fulfilment of the promises made by
| God to the pair archs with reference to the
! growth of the children of Israel" KeiL)
"There is in it the protoplasm of the whole
/ action of God, in the complete sphere of hu-
man history; in other words, have not met
with any phase of divine revelation or minis
! try which Is not TO be traced, in at least
! dawning outline, in this second book of
! Moses. (Parker.)
The Pharaoh Of tie Oppression How long
the Hebrews enjoyed peace and independence
after the death of Joseph is only conjecture
! 1t Is very probable that great king like
! Thotmes Ill, who needed such multitudes of
| laborers and workmen for his vast construc-
! tons, pressed into his service not only
Egyptians and prisoners OF war; but Asiatic
! races like the Hebrews, living on the Delta
But it was left TO Rameses IL, the Sesostris
| OF the Greeks-the ninth king after ThOtmes
I'LL aud the third monarch of the nineteenth
| dynasty-tO earn for himself, especially, the
| evil distinction of the oppressor of the He
| brews "The monuments Of this great
king still cover the soil of Egypt and Nuba in
almost countless numbers, and show him TO
have been the greatest builder of all the
Pharaohs." (Geikie.)
ancient Brick Naking Among the paint
| ings of Thebes, one on the tomb of Reksbara,
an officer of the court of Thotmes Ill about
! 1400 b. G represents the enforced labors in
| brick making of captives, who are distin-
| guished from natives by the color in which
they are drawn. Watching over the laborers
are @taskmasters," who, armed with sticks,
are receiving the stale of bricks, and urging
! on the work. The processes of digging out
| the clay, of moldng, and of arranging, are
all duly represented; and though the laborers
cannot be determined to be Jews, yet the M
| ilarity OF employment illustrates the Bible his
tory in a remarkable degree. (H W. Phillott }
| CONNECTING LINK
The closing chapters of Genesis give an ac-
| count of Jacobs prophetic blessing upon his
children; of Jacobs death afterward; of the
| death of Joseph, after years of honorable and
acceptable service; OF his prophecy that God
would bring his people up out OF Egypt; and
Of his request that when they went they should
take his bones with them. Now occurs a long
period Of fifty years or more, after which God
again overrules mans wickedness TO further
bfs designs
sEED-TRUTHs AND GERM-THoUGHTS
j. The history we all must make (~died")
| y6